Examinations

The Open Group offers examination tests for all of the current Certification for People Programs: ArchiMate®, IT4IT™, Open FAIR™, TOGAF® 9.

Individuals achieve certification in a program by first passing the applicable examination(s) and then completing the certification process, including accepting the legal terms and conditions of the program, in the applicable Open Group certification program web system.

Examinations are offered at authorized test centers for The Open Group's Examination Provider(s). In some programs (currently ArchiMate, IT4IT, Open FAIR, and TOGAF 9) Accredited Training Course (ATC) Providers may offer the examination as part of the training course. Note that this is at the discretion of the ATC Provider; some prefer to provide vouchers that allow people to take the exam at an Examination Provider's test center. Please check with your Accredited Training Course Provider.

All examinations are available in English. Some examinations may be available in languages other than English or with an English as a Second Language (ESL) option. See the summary information for each exam for detailed information on language availabilty and any restrictions on the availability of an exam or pre-requisites.

Examination Tips

Registering for an exam

See The Open Group Exam Registration page.

If you have a voucher, you will be able to apply it on the exam provider's website at the time of registration when asked for payment for the exam.

A voucher is not required in order to take an exam. If you do not already have one, you will be asked to provide a credit card for payment at the time of registration.

Examination Fees

See the Examination Fees page to determine the fee for the exam you wish to take.

Appointment Times

A common area of confusion for candidates is that the length of the appointment at the test center and the length of time allowed for the examination are not the same.

If you are taking an exam at a Pearson VUE test center, please see the Advice Sheet for Candidates.

ESL (English as a Second Language) Time Allowance

Additional time may be provided for people taking an English language exam if English is not their first language.  A candidate’s country of residence, nationality, and the country in which they would like to take the exam are used in determining eligibility for additional time. The additional time allowance is 30 minutes for a Part 1, Part 2, or Bridge exam and 30 minutes for each part of a Combined exam, for a total of 60 additional minutes.

Candidates who reside in and are taking an English language exam in a country designated as an ESL country are eligible for extra time to complete the exam. If you are register for a single part exam, the additional time will automatically be added on and reflected on your Order Summary when you complete your registration. For a Combined Part 1 and Part 2 exam, you must select the ESL specific exam (OG0-093-ESL, OG0-023-ESL) in order to be granted additional time.

Candidates who:

  • do not currently reside in a country designated as an ESL country,
  • are not native English speakers and do not have professional working proficiency of English, and
  • are natives of a designated ESL country or of a non-English speaking region of their country (e.g., French Canadian)

may request additional time for an English language exam under the ESL time allowance.

Candidates must request and obtain approval from The Open Group before booking the exam. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. We require written confirmation from your employer (or other independent party, such as training organization, if unemployed or self-employed) of your need for additional time.

Requests must be submitted via the Certification area of The Open Group Help Desk and include the following:

  1. Name of the exam you would like to take
  2. Nationality
  3. Country you currently live in and the length of time you have been living there
  4. Scanned letter from your employer providing rationale for why you need additional time for the exam. The letter must be on company letterhead paper and include the date, name, and signature of the person writing the letter.
  5. Any additional evidence you have regarding your level of fluency in English

The Open Group will review your request and let you know whether or not your request is approved. If approved, The Open Group will provide authorization to Pearson VUE who will contact you by phone to schedule your exam.

If you would like to check whether you meet the criteria for the ESL Time Allowance before requesting a letter from your employer, you may provide items 1-3 above for a preliminary check on your eligibilty.

Open Book Examinations

Please note that if you are taking an "Open Book" examination whether it be at a test center or with an Accredited Training Course provider, the reference book (e.g., TOGAF 9) is always built into the examination itself, and available by selecting the "Reference" button within the examination.

Translation Dictionaries

If you have been granted an ESL time extension or a medical accommodation, you will be allowed to bring a Translation Dictionary into the exam room, provided that it:

  • Gives "word to word" (or in short phrase) translations
  • Does not provide English definitions for foreign language words
  • Does not have notations in the margins
  • Does not have extra pages inserted into it

Important: Standard dictionaries cannot be used for The Open Group testing under any circumstances. Your translation Dictionary will be inspected by test center staff and must meet the criteria above in order for you to be allowed to use it.

Retake Policy

The Open Group Certification for People Certification Policy indicates that after failing an examination, candidates must wait at least one month before re-taking any examination within that same certification program. If you retake your examination before the end of the waiting period, your test result will be void. This applies to all examinations within that program but does not affect examinations in another Open Group program. For example, in the TOGAF program, if you fail the Part 1 section of the TOGAF 9 Combined Part 1 and Part 2 examination, you would need to wait at least one month before taking just the Part 1 examination. However, there would be no restriction on taking an examination in another program, such as the IT4IT Part 1 examination.

Restrictions

As a U.S. corporation, The Open Group prohibits nationals of countries subject to U.S. embargo or trade restrictive sanctions (currently Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria) from taking an examination or getting certified. Further information is available on The Open Group Legal Compliances website.